Charlotte FC acquires two players in deadline flurry
Charlotte brings in a former MLS rookie of the year, and a second U-22 international player; Nick Kelly's abrupt resignation as Tepper Sports CEO; Fuchs' son celebrates dad's goal; Jozwiak in slo-mo
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Charlotte FC adds offensive duo in flurry of moves at ‘transfer’ deadline
Newcomer Andre Shinyashiki joined practice this week for Charlotte FC. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project.)
The Charlotte FC has been busy since its last game in Orlando on Saturday, adding two new players to the fold before the “transfer window” closed at the end of the day Wednesday. For a team that’s seemingly been adding a piece at a time for weeks, this will be the end of the roster-shaping for a couple of months. We’ll explain what transfer windows are and when the next one is, but first some details on the two new forwards Charlotte added to the mix:
1. Andre Shinyashiki (pronounced Shin-yah-shee-kee.) You might recognize his name because a) it’s both distinctive and awesome and b) we heard it called early and often during the Charlotte FC’s game in Colorado on April 23. The Brazilian-born and U.S.-educated Shinyashiki, 24, was a fan favorite in Colorado after winning the 2019 MLS rookie of the year, while scoring seven goals, having starred and been drafted out of the University of Denver. Shinyashiki became expendable after Colorado traded for striker Gyasi Zardesa, a two-time MLS Cup champion and former U.S. men’s national team player, two weeks earlier.
2. Kerwin Vargas. The 20-year-old is a native of Colombia whom Charlotte FC signed as an “Under-22 initiative” out of Portugal. Vargas was playing his first professional season in the second-tier division in Portugal, where he has scored eight goals with C.D. Feirense. In a show of his youthful exuberance, Vargas liked to celebrate those goals with a round-off into a back flip — a la St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith. Check that out, along with his highlights:
Charlotte FC roster: Maybe not so ’screwed’ anymore?
It’s been almost three months since Coach Miguel Angel Ramirez let fly his viral “we’re screwed” response (albeit in Spanish — “estamos jodidos”) when a reporter asked him about realistic expectations for the season. Ramirez was referring, in part, to a noticeable void at winger on the roster as Charlotte was preparing to open its inaugural season. Since then, Charlotte has added striker Daniel Rios in a trade from Nashville, traded for midfielder Derrick Jones from the Houston Dynamo and signed a second designated (or star) player Kamil Jozwiak out of the English Championship League. Now come another pair of forwards in Shinyashiki and Vargas.
“Now in terms of depth, we are more compensated,” Ramirez said. “We are also able to change the formation in one moment, having more wingers. We were playing 4-4-2 because of the lack of wingers. Now we are able to have more players per position, flexibility and depth.”
Ramirez acknowledged it’s been out of his comfort zone to play with two strikers, which he’s done with Karol Swiderski and Rios up top in the formation that’s brought Charlotte its best scoring chances. Ramirez prefers a 4-3-3 with Swiderski flanked by two wingers on the front line. Now that Jozwiak has had a couple of weeks to adapt to his new team and Shinyashiki is also available at winger (or a second striker), Ramirez has more options.
Shinyashiki will be available Saturday against Inter Miami, wearing No. 16. Vargas is still several weeks away as he awaits his visa.
Shinyashiki told Ramirez he was impressed with Charlotte FC when he played against them with the Rapids on April 23 and that’s continued to hold true in his first week of practice in Charlotte.
“I like the attacking football style they play, the press, really putting teams on the back foot,” he said. “I was really impressed by the first trainings I’ve already had. It’s really intense, and I think in the long term, it will be very successful.”
What is the transfer window?
Charlotte soccer fans have gotten a heavy dose of MLS terminology and practices in recent weeks. First there was an international break, which saw players like Alan Franco (Ecuador) and Christian Makoun (Venezuela) leave in the middle of the season for stints with their national teams during World Cup qualifying.
Then we had the start of the U.S. Open Cup, a David vs. Goliath style opportunity for teams in the lower ranks of professional soccer. In its U.S. Open Cup opener, which was shoe-horned into a stretch of three straight MLS road games, Charlotte FC traveled to Greenville, where it was taken to extra time before escaping the Greenville Triumph of the USL League One with a 2-1 win. (Charlotte FC plays its next U.S. Open Cup game Wednesday in Richmond.)
And now, this week, came the end of the “primary transfer window.”
The transfer window is the period of time when teams can register (sign or trade) new players. There are two such periods during the course of the season, first a 90-day window that generally lasts from early February until now, and a secondary window lasting 30 days starting in early July. (This year it will go from July 7 until Aug. 4.) The second window often features more signing of European players because their annual contracts expire June 30.
Going abroad to meet Vargas
Caleb Adams, writer for the Charlotte FC, got to travel to Portugal to meet and feature Vargas earlier this week. In both video and written features, he highlighted Vargas’ persistence. He explained that Vargas decided to leave Colombia for Europe, disappointed that he wasn’t getting the chance to play at the highest level in Colombia. Then Vargas tried out for 10 different teams in Portugal before C.D. Feirense took a chance at him.
He initially got an invitation to their academy but wound up with a key role on their first team. In his first professional season, Vargas scored eight goals and won player of the week six times, which is a record for a season in Portugal’s second division.
“(Vargas) has quickly proven to be a goal-scoring threat at the professional level during his first season in Portugal and has the potential to grow into a well-rounded forward in this league,” Charlotte FC Sporting Director Zoran Krneta said. “He’s a pacey, direct forward who can play on the wing or at striker and is a courageous competitor. He is excited about the move to Charlotte, where he can continue to grow into his own in senior football, and we look forward to welcoming him in the coming weeks.”
What is a U-22 initiative player: Vargas becomes Charlotte FC’s second U-22 initiative player, joining Vinicius Mello, a 19-year-old standout from Brazil, who has yet to play this season but is nearing a return from a broken foot.
Major League Soccer first introduced the Under-22 rule in April of 2021 in an effort to encourage teams to sign young players without breaking the bank. It allows them to sign as many as three Under-22 players at a reduced hit to their salary caps. Teams can sign players aged 20 or younger, with just $150,000 of their salary (which can go up to the team maximum of $612,500) counting against their salary cap and for players 21-23 at just a $200,000 hit. Vargas was signed through the 2024 season, with options for 2025 and 2026.
Shocker: Tepper Sports CEO Nick Kelly steps down
In a surprising development this week, Nick Kelly resigned as CEO of Tepper Sports & Entertainment. It’s a title he’d held for only three months, after being promoted from president of the Charlotte FC just before the start of its inaugural MLS season.
In the new role, Kelly had been overseeing both the Panthers and the Charlotte FC. He took part in conversations about possible future renovations to Bank of America Stadium for both soccer and football, conversations about a permanent practice facility for Charlotte FC and about the development of the Eastland Mall property for use by the Charlotte FC Academy. His resignation comes two months after construction on a new Panthers practice facility in Rock Hill was halted after relations between Tepper Sports and the city of Rock Hill soured.
“Nick played an integral role in laying the groundwork for Charlotte FC’s inaugural season and was a key contributor to Tepper Sports & Entertainment,” owner David Tepper said in a statement released by the club. “We appreciate his efforts and wish him and his family the best as they move forward.”
Kelly was hired in December of 2020 to spearhead the launch of Charlotte FC. He made a name himself among fans for his willingness to engage their concerns both personally and on social media.
Neither Kelly nor Tepper Sports has given any indication why Kelly is stepping down.
“I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Tepper, as well as the entire Tepper Sports & Entertainment organization, for giving me the opportunity to build a club, culture and fanbase from the ground up at Charlotte FC,” Kelly said in the team’s statement. “It has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and for that I will be forever grateful and a fan.”
Shake-ups have become part of the norm for this young franchise, one that had already seen the departure of sporting director Marc Nicholls just before the start of the season. And TSE President Tom Glick, who was a key player in bringing soccer to Charlotte, resigned in January, opening the door for Kelly’s promotion.
Up Next: Charlotte (3-6-1) vs. Inter Miami (3-5-1)
When/Where: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
How to watch: WAXN (Channel 64), UniMas, TUDN or live stream at www.charlottefootballclub/live or on the Charlotte FC app or on Twitter. Local restrictions apply.
Notable:
Charlotte returns home after a three-game road swing (plus one more including the U.S. Open Cup win) having gained only one point in the MLS standings on a 0-0 draw, while falling to 0-5-1 overall on the road. The club has won three straight at Bank of America Stadium, though, and is 3-1 overall in front of the home crowd.
Defender Joseph Mora and forward Yordy Reyna are back healthy this week.
Charlotte has scored just three goals in the past five games and one of those was via penalty kick. Striker Karol Swiderski hasn’t scored a goal since his back-to-back two-goal games against New England and Cincinnati in the team’s only back-to-back victories.
Jozwiak jukes in slo-mo
Our own videographer and photographer Kevin Young captured some of the sweet moves and aggressiveness of new Polish forward Kamil Jozwiak during his his first action (and first assist) for Charlotte FC in the U.S. Open Cup against Greenville. Jozwiak missed the Colorado game with an illness but returned to action off the bench against Orlando. He role figures to continue to grow for Charlotte. He’s looking for his first start.
Fuchs’ first MLS goal — celebrated by his son
Charlotte FC captain Christian Fuchs is a 36-year old veteran player with a distinguished soccer resume. He was captain of the Austrian National Team and a 2016 champion of the Premier League with Leicester City. But scoring his first MLS goal for Charlotte FC — which he did on a decisive penalty kick, with a devastating hesitation move last Saturday night — brought out some schoolboy excitement. Not necessarily his — Charlotte FC was losing 2-0 at the time, so Fuchs kept relative cool — but he relished the chance later to see his son’s reaction while watching the goal on TV.
Previous editions of Fútbol Friday
You can find previous issues of The Charlotte Ledger’s Fútbol Friday newsletter online.
Carroll Walton is a longtime baseball writer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now cutting her teeth on soccer and the Charlotte FC just as fans in Charlotte do. She would love to hear from you. E-mail her with questions, suggestions, story ideas and comments!
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project